We are thankful to be welcome on these lands in friendship. The lands we are situated on are covered by the Williams Treaties and are the traditional territory of the Mississaugas, a branch of the greater Anishinaabeg Nation, including Algonquin, Ojibway, Odawa and Pottawatomi. These lands remain home to many Indigenous nations and peoples.

We acknowledge this land out of respect for the Indigenous nations who have cared for Turtle Island, also called North America, from before the arrival of settler peoples until this day. Most importantly, we acknowledge that the history of these lands has been tainted by poor treatment and a lack of friendship with the First Nations who call them home.

This history is something we are all affected by because we are all treaty people in Canada. We all have a shared history to reflect on, and each of us is affected by this history in different ways. Our past defines our present, but if we move forward as friends and allies, then it does not have to define our future.

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Michael Starr Lecture Series

Michael Starr was a prominent politician and community leader in Oshawa. He is credited with championing many projects in Oshawa such as City Hall and the public library system. Mr. Starr was an alderman for the City of Oshawa from 1944 to 1949 and mayor from 1949 to 1952. He won a seat in the House of Commons in 1952 for the Progressive Conservatives and served until 1968 and served as federal labour minister in Prime Minister John Diefenbaker's government. He continued to serve in other public roles and from 1968 to 1972, Mr. Starr was citizenship court judge in Toronto and was appointed chairman of the Workers' Compensation Board of Ontario in 1973 and held that position until 1980. He died in 2000.

Recently, we've received funding for the Michael Starr Public Lectures series to put on yearly lectures and panels within the Political Science program. This series allows us to bring speakers to our university that can highlight significant political issues and facilitate important discussions.